Chapter 200 people! Damn another milestone reached.
Though at this point, the story is near its end than ever before. Love you guys for the support since day one✌️
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[Meanwhile Back in the Dark Dimension ]
Draul's evolution had caused the two viewers present to pause, but only for a while as Dormammu capitalized on the opening and lunged for Draul only for the Ancient One to step up and summon a few objects, both big and small, that prevented the Dark God from reaching the man.
"The bug finally fights back, huh?" Dormammu sneered as saw that none of his efforts gave him his desired effect. "I wonder how long it will take before you die. A few days, some months… five years? Your end is right about the corner and there is nothing you can do to stop it this time."
He once again rammed himself into the barrier, causing the Ancient One to spew out blood at the backlash. She was holding onto the barrier with just her sheer will and Dormammu's consistent attacks were taking a lot out of her.
"Infinity Stones. I never knew someone was foolish enough to absorb them… but he might as well be the bravest since it appears he'll succeed. I will make sure to delight in his suffering once I break free of this shackle…"
The Ancient One was almost thrown into a fit of panic due to the unexpected change in Draul. She had no idea that he would try to fuse with both stones midfight, not when Strange was on his way to sever the connection between the Dark Dimension and Earth which would no doubt enrage Dormammu more and since he can't get to Draul, he would have no other choice but to focus his sights on the new disturbance.
"Tell me, Dormammu. What do you know about him? You seem to have recognized him but I don't remember you ever meeting." The Ancient One asked. If there was anyone who had an inkling as to what Draul was affiliated to then it would be dark beings, and given that Dormammu was one, if not the most, darkest there was, it was only right she asked him.
"It's nothing for you to know. You can form all the hypotheses you want, but it still wouldn't give you a clue as to what is involved.. You just have no idea." Dormammu's face lingered a few meters away from the barrier, staring intently at the Ancient One as she stood behind the barrier.
She frowned at Dormammu's words, knowing fully well that nothing good came out of the demon's mouth. "But you do?" Dormammu snickered at her question before pausing abruptly as his dark eyes shone with power.
He could feel the link between his realm and Earth being severed and it was at that moment that he knew he had lost himself to rage and had forgotten about the pest known as Strange.
His first reaction was to lash against the barrier in futility, and his second had been to bring the location of where Strange was to him… but he couldn't.
He was in his domain. His playing field. A place where he could control the laws as he wished that even though they had managed to place a futile limit on him, he could still control the place as he wished. But apparently not anymore.
He had lost his control of his dimension's space and not only that, he had also lost his ability to manipulate the laws and forces of his dimension.
His dark heart chilled as he came to a conclusion and looked at the vortex of power that was swirling around the man, completely engulfing him, that had fused with two Infinity Stones.
The locks on his connection with his realm completely shattered but even then he still couldn't control the forces in HIS own dimension. It was as if the power that was made available from his ownership of the Dark Dimension was usurped.
'But that's impossible! The only things in the universe that can control the very forces of reality are either the Power Stone or the Reality Stone… That purple glow. Don't tell me he possesses THREE Infinity Stones!!' Dormammu's thoughts ran wild as all he could do was stay still as the complete domination of space and power were so out of his reach that he couldn't even travel a mere kilometer with any of his abilities without facing a fierce opposition.
Dormammu was not the only one that was left speechless by the new ongoing events. Though she had speculated that a thorough change will take place once he balances his soul and mind with the concept of Infinity, never had she thought it would be this drastic that even space and power were rendered moot and could do nothing without his express permission – even her magic was gone, and so was the barrier around them.
The vortex shimmered down and dispersed, revealing… nothing.
No body, no power, no congregation of space… all that was left was an empty field.
"What h-hap….pened?!" Her words stuck to her throat as she looked at the dark infernal space of the Dark Dimension.
The darkness and fire were like stars in the night sky, with four colors of purple, blue, orange and yellow, shining the brightest like the congregations of stars in a galaxy.
The darkness was without form – void and null – with only the lights giving it an ephemeral shape. It felt like the personification of the cosmos was staring back at them, holding the authority of space, power, soul, and the heart in his lights.
The stars dimmed and shifted in a way as if it were a person blinking and looking at his body.
Before any of them could react to the rapid changes, the dark and bright cosmos vanished and faded away like smoke, leaving only Draul at its epicenter.
The man in question floated down with a look of confusion on his face as he checked his body and made gestures that none of his spectators could understand.
Draul continued doing so for a while, not paying any attention to his surroundings as if he was seeing things that only he could understand.
Seeing the man who recklessly fused with two Infinity Stones and had stolen the power of his domain not paying him any attention as if he was naught but a child, Dormammu unleashed his full might, forcefully drawing upon the powers the realm gave him and attacked the occupied Draul.
"Stop." Was all he said and everything stilled.
The attack appeared frozen in time and it was only until Draul gave it a look before it fizzled out and turned into dust.
To say Dormammu was shocked would be an understatement but that wasn't the only thing that made him falter.
"You… You didn't fuse with the stones, did you? You absorbed what was in them and took a part of the universe for yourself…."
"Hahahahaha…"
This was golden.
Dormammu had never seen something like this in his innumerable eons of living. Sure there had been a sizable number of people who had wielded the Infinity Stones throughout time and history, but none had done what the human before him had done.
Wielding all six stones would make one nigh-omnipotent in their home universe as the stones were next to worthless if they were taken away from their home universe. But the human had done something none had ever done.
Rather than saying he fused with an Infinity Stone, it would be truer to say he had fused with what made up the aspect of Infinity in his universe. And looking at him now, Dormammu could tell that rather than his assumed three, he had already fused with four Infinity Stones.
He had taken the aspect of Space, Power, Soul and Mind of his universe away from the Infinity Stones which basically made that universe his own realm and an extension of his own body. And the same way a person could carry everything about him to another dimension or universe, he also could carry the power of his universe unto another without the disadvantage the Infinity Stones had as he wasn't the Infinity Stones but rather had the powers of them.
And that was exactly what he was doing, and given that he held the authority of the Power Stone also allowed him to fuse with a part of the Dark Dimension and also make it his domain along with the Earth and his universe.
"Hold on for a sec, Doomy." He patted Dormammu's shoulders as he walked past him which left the Dark God in slight shock as he saw how the human had manipulated his domain that even he couldn't react until he was already at his side.
"You good?" He bent down and asked the Ancient One who had managed to get her breath in order.
"Yes, I'll live." She nodded with a smile at Draul's question. It still surprised her greatly the pure absurdness of what she was seeing. Draul had broken the convention that had been set in place by the Celestials when they created the infinite universes and was taking it in strides like it was another weekend for him.
"But not for long." He could see her soul, dry and withered. With a soul like this, she wouldn't even be able to live even up to a decade.
"I know. I think I prefer it this way. I've seen too much and lived too long, way past my time that I've grown quite numb and complacent to it. Maybe experiencing death would be a nice change of pace. And besides, there is nothing else I can do nor is there anything I can teach when I know the future is in capable hands." She said as she released another sigh – this one in relief.
With both him and Strange guiding the future, she was sure they would usher in the brightest age though someone would need to keep an eye on Draul as he tends to be lazy most of the time.
"Whatever floats your boat." Draul shrugged. If she knew her death was coming and she accepted it, what else was he to do? Increasing her life span by strengthening her soul was something he could do with ease now that he had fused with the Soul Stone.
He then turned around to Dormammu who had been watching him like a hawk after the stunt he had pulled.
Even though he was still inside Dormammu's domain and the Dark God was at full strength, he was still confident.
Looking at the amalgamation of darkness and fire in front of him, he could tell that Dormammu was likely multiversal in strength but gauging someone like that had a few problems.
Sorcerers like the Ancient One and Strange, even Mordo, knew some spells that were at least universal in effect but that didn't mean that they could face any universal being in physical strength. It was only in magic that they stood a chance.
The same thing, but although slightly different, was what was happening between Draul and Dormammu. While Draul had absorbed the aspects of the stones, he didn't gain the universal nigh-omnipotent limiter that came with them. What he did was absorb the concept of Infinity that had taken on different aspects. And that alone was the reason why he didn't fear Dormammu who by all rights should still eclipse him in strength.
It was because they were both fighting in their respective domain which was now the Dark Dimension and Draul also now fully had the powers of different specific aspects of the universe backing him up. They weren't by no means equal, but were by all rights at a stalemate.
And unlike Dormammu who has once again lost his chance at Earth, Draul would always be encroaching on the powers of the Dark Dimension.
'If only I had the Reality and Time Stone then…' Draul thought. With a thought, he teleported Strange towards him but the man had something to say before Draul even opened his mouth.
"There was a demoness with me. Can we take her along?"
Draul rolled his eyes and the next second, said demoness was standing behind Draul and Strange with shock, fear and confusion written on her face.
"You dare betray me, Clea?!! You impudent wretch!" Before he could go on another rant, Draul slashed down with his hand and they were gone from the Dark Dimension with Dormammu's blood curdling scream filtering in their ears.
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